Watch out DVD counterfeiters!!  The cutting edge tool to combat DVD piracy??  Dogs…

Lucky and Flo (pictured above) are the world’s first two disc-sniffing pooches.  They’ve assisted in at least 35 raids in Malaysia, leading to the arrest of 26 people and the discovery of about 1.9 million pirated discs and 97 burner towers.  Click here for the full story.

Lots of dogs in the headlines these days…

First a Brooklyn dog named Lexi came to her neighbor’s rescue - she helped her owner locate an 85-yr old neighbor who had collapsed in his apartment several hours earlier.  Yeah, Lexi!!  Our own little urban Lassie!

Then there’s more activity in the dog cloning world…the first puppies have been born to cloned parents.  Although it was through artificial insemination, so I don’t know if it should really count…still pretty crazy stuff!

If you’re in Queens or Staten Island, you can take your pup to the one day only Walgreens Pet Photo special this Saturday.  Proceeds benefit two great orgainzations:  The Delta Society (pet therapy orgainzation) and Best Friends Animal Society (the largest sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals).

 Click here to find the nearest participating Walgreens location.

There are two fundraising events this week to support Animal Care & Control of New York City.  By participating, you can help provide medical treatment, shelter, toys, blankets and loving homes for more than 43,000 homeless animals each year.

For a night on the town…

Or if a walk in the park is more your speed…

Click here for more information.

What a great weekend to be a dog in NYC!!  I can’t believe we’re going to be out of town and missing all of the fun…

First, on Saturday, the AKC is hosting Responsible Dog Ownership Day in Madison Square Park.  With demonstrations, discounted micro-chipping, contests and free samples & treats - it’s a dog event not to be missed.  2 years ago Oscar passed his Canine Good Citizens test at RDOD which started his Therapy Dog Journey!  We also won 2nd place (and an AKC breed poster) in “Rover Says” and won a fun squeaky squirrel toy in a dog trivia challenge.

Then on Sunday, join fellow dog owners in McCarren Park for a local canine version of The Amazing Race…with the NYC Doggie Amazing Race.  Laura & Preston of Greatest American Dog fame will be there and possibly some of the other contestants.  There is an entrance fee of $30 (part of which will be donated to a local Brooklyn dog shelter).  You can register ahead of time online or in person on Sunday. 

If you attend either event, please let us know how it went so that we can live vicariously through you!!

Nestle and Purina are sponsoring a photo/essay contest to celebrate the special bond between people and their pets.  The winner will receive a portrait of their family and pet(s) by acclaimed artist C.F. Payne and a year’s supply of Purina dog food.

Entries will be judged on the overall emotional appeal of the photo/essay (50%), originality and creativity of the photo/essay (25%) and photo quality (25%). 

If you have a story (of 250 words or less) and photo that represents how people and pets make life better for each other, submit your entry by October 5th!

Check out this contest website for more details about the contest and helpful pet photography tips.  Good luck!

Please spread the word that Mars has issued a voluntary recall of many of their dry pet foods due to potential salmonella contamination.  The recall includes Pedigree products and several other brands. 

From the press release…

“Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.  Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans.”

Click here for the full FDA press release.

Shockingly, until today I never thought about Oscar’s astrological sign.  Turns out he’s a Scorpio!  You can check out your pup’s horoscope every week, courtesy of the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

Here’s Oscar’s horoscope for this week…

“Whatever you do, don’t you dare ask this power-packed pooch to take a back seat. This possessive puppy will demand you show your love and then some by making him the top priority of your life. Should you fail to meet these needs, you can expect some serious hooting and barking. Yes, your entire existence must revolve around your Scorpio best friend’s incessant needs, but it’s so worth it!”

Haha….I have to say, that’s pretty perfect!  5 minutes ago Oscar climbed right onto my laptop, which was IN my lap, and sat down.

What will they think of next??  Cott Beverages, recently launched a new line of vitamin water for dogs called Fortifido!!  Fortifido comes in 4 flavors - peanut butter, spearmint, lemongrass and parsley.

I can’t imagine buying this on a regular basis, but I have to admit that if I saw it on the shelf…I’d probably pick up a bottle.  Mostly out of curiosity - heck, I recently bought a packet of chicken flavored microwave popcorn for dogs!

Hello all!  Oscar, here.  It’s been a while since I’ve posted something myself (my contract specifies that all of the tedious, time-consuming aspects related to my life be executed by my humans - a.k.a.  “mom the pushover” and “dad the sucker”).  But I decided that I’d come out of my self-imposed writing exile to share a recent experience that I found particularly interesting.

Although I love kids, in general, I am not a fan of babies - whether 2 or 4 legged.  Puppies are rude and I do not take kindly to their lack of etiquette - especially if they are a big puppy and insist on jumping on my head.  And ever since my near-death experience with a human baby, I’ve been pretty wary of those little suckers.  (Okay, near-death is a slight exaggeration…a little guy chased me around and grabbed a fistful of face fur.)

Anyway, this past weekend I had a significant change of heart in regards to non-furry babies when I got to spend some quality time with my cousin - Baby N.  Actually, from here on out, I will refer to Baby N as the “Treatmaker”.  Much like the Rainmakers of the Native American culture, where Baby N goes…bounty follows.  Every time she sat in her feeding chair, yummy treats like cheerios and noodles would rain down from the heavens!! 

Plus, whenever she crawled towards me and tried to pet me, my favorite T-R-E-A-T-S (you don’t think I can spell that??) would suddenly appear and I would get rewarded just for SITTING there nicely!! 

But my favorite part about the Treatmaker was that her parents made a big deal about my personal comfort.  Whenever the Treatmaker would pet too vigorously or look like she was going to grab my fur, they would show her how to pet me nicely.  They clearly recognized my Top Dog status…

So, I still hate puppies, but babies are moving up on my list…